Technically Speaking
by lakergirl4life
Summary: The revolving door that is Johnny's love life.
1. Chapter 1

Part I

"Johnny - there's a Ms. Alessandra here to see you," Max said.

"Thanks," Johnny said and nodded. "Hi." Johnny smiled, Carly was right, Alessandra was a beautiful woman. A very beautiful woman. She was gorgeous, on a scale of one to ten, she was a twelve. "I'm Johnny."

She smiled and took off her wrap, "Nice to meet you," Alessandra said..

Johnny smiled again, "Nice to meet you too," Johnny said, taking her wrap. "Can I get you anything? A drink? Water?" He was about ready to suggest they skip the engagement party and stay in instead.

"A drink would be great," Alessandra said. "Brandy, if you have it."

"Not a problem," Johnny said, walking across the living room to fix their drinks. "So - how do you know Carly?" Tonight was Gia and Nikolas' engagement party, and he'd just gotten out of a bad relationship so Carly said she'd find him a date. Carly knew his taste in women, so he trusted her. And from the 2 minutes he'd spent with Alessandra so far, Carly did good.

"Thanks," Alessandra said, taking her drink from Johnny. She paused to take a sip. "Through a business associate."

Johnny nodded, "Deception?" Johnny asked.

"Yes," Alessandra said. "Carly tells me you're a coffee importer?"

"Yeah," Johnny said, taking a drink. He didn't doubt that Carly would tell that to someone, but if Alessandra knew Carly, then she should know he wasn't really a coffee importer. He wondered how she knew Carly, she was definitely gorgeous enough to be a model - but every model he'd ever dated had no problem saying that she was one. "I can get you a great deal on coffee, if you're interested."

Alessandra smiled, "I just might take you up on that," she said, setting down her drink. She briefly rested her hand on Johnny's, "Do I have time to make a quick call before we leave?"

"No problem," Johnny said. "I left my gift upstairs. I'll be back in a minute." Johnny sprinted upstairs and got his gift from the party. As he walked back downstairs, Alessandra was speaking in hushed tones and the only part of her conversation that he could make out was _GFE_.

"I'll check in later," Alessandra said, hanging up her phone. "So what did you get them?"

"Candlesticks, I think," Johnny said. "I don't know, I didn't pick it out. Carly did."

"Are you close with Carly?" Alessandra asked. She knew Carly was married, maybe she and Johnny were closer than she originally thought.

Johnny laughed softly, "She's a good friend, kind of a cross between a sister and a wife," Johnny said. "So do you know Gia?"

"No - no, I don't," Alessandra said.

"Oh," Johnny said. "Huh." If Alessandra knew Carly through a business associate, then she should know Gia too. Gia was always at the Deception building. "Well, you'll meet her tonight."

"Are you ready to get going?" Alessandra asked.

"Let's go," Johnny said.

* * *

"The place we're going to, is it far?" Alessandra asked, letting her wrap slide off her shoulders. 

"Not too far," Johnny said.

"I've never been to Port Charles before," she said. "I'd love a tour of the city."

Johnny nodded, "That can be arranged," Johnny said. He called up to the driver and instructed him to take them on a tour of the city before heading to Deception. "It's a little hard to see through the tinted windows - "

"I know," Alessandra said, sliding closer to Johnny. She rested her hand on his chest and leaned closer. "That's kind of the point." She slid her hand up Johnny's chest until she cupped his chin, turning him so he was facing her. She smiled at him, then leaned in to kiss him.

Johnny automatically returned her kiss, pulling her onto his lap. "God, you're beautiful," Johnny whispered before kissing her again.

Alessandra smiled and teased Johnny with short kisses, "You too," she whispered and lowered her mouth on his for another kiss. She shifted her leg over his, so she was straddling him. Johnny ran his hands up her bare back, pulling Alessandra closer to him. She gently bit his lower lip and trailed kisses along his jaw. She started unbuttoning Johnny's dress shirt and opened her eyes when she felt his hands atop hers.

"Slow down," Johnny said, his breath ragged.

"Why?" Alessandra asked, wrapping her arms around Johnny's neck and kissing him. "You want me." She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him again, "Tell me you don't."

He had to confess, that he'd wanted Alessandra out of that dress the second she took off her wrap. But something was off, he just wasn't sure what. "So what if I do?" Johnny asked.

"Then I'm yours for the taking," Alessandra whispered before kissing him again. She pulled back slightly and untied the thin strap holding her dress up, letting her dress fall to her waist and leaned forward again, kissing him.

"What's the rush?" Johnny asked, finding a resolve he didn't know he had. He couldn't believe he was about to turn down an incredibly beautiful half-naked woman, but up until thirty minutes ago he'd never laid eyes on her before.

Alessandra pulled back and frowned slightly, "I thought you liked limos. Carly told me - "

"She told you what?" Johnny asked, trying to keep his gaze on her face but every so often his eyes wandered down. He was human, after all.

"That you like limos," Alessandra said. "And that it was important to her that you have a good time at this party." She leaned forward to brush her lips over his, pressing herself against his chest. "Very important."

"We have all night," Johnny said.

"Not exactly," Alessandra said, tracing her manicured finger along Johnny's jaw. "I should warn you that I turn into a pumpkin at midnight."

"Is that so, Cinderella?" Johnny asked.

Alessandra nodded, "Very much so," she said, leaning forward to kiss Johnny again. "Just so you know - I'm a sure thing, so either, now or later - whatever. Just before midnight." She kissed Johnny again, "If you want me to stay later - we can work something out."

Alessandra's words echoed in his head from earlier, GFE. He'd heard that acronym before somewhere, he just wasn't sure where or in what context. Johnny returned her kiss, "We can talk about that later," Johnny said.

"Works for me," Alessandra said. "Before I forget, when we get there - am I your date or do you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?"

Girlfriend. Girl Friend Experience. GFE. Carly set him up with a hooker. He was going to kill Carly, once he got his hands on her. Johnny took a deep breath, "You know - I think I'm gonna skip out on the party tonight," Johnny said.

"We can take the party back to your place," Alessandra suggested.

"I might call it an early night," Johnny said.

"Are you sure?" Alessandra asked. "When I said I was yours until midnight, I meant it." She wasn't sure how she'd messed this up, but somewhere along the way something went wrong. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Johnny assured her, gesturing for her to get dressed. "Trust me, you didn't do anything wrong."

* * *

"Where is she?" Johnny demanded, slamming the penthouse door as he walked in. 

"Carly?" Jason asked, setting down his beer.

"Yes, Carly," Johnny said. "Your wife Carly - the wife I'm about to strangle." He loved Carly, he loved her like a sister but this time she had gone too far.

"What did she do?" Jason asked. "She's upstairs, finishing getting ready. I thought you left already."

"CARLY!" Johnny shouted. "Get down here!"

A few minutes later, Carly walked downstairs carrying her shoes. "Why are you here?" Carly asked, setting her shoes down on the coffee table. "Jase, can you help me with these?"

Jason gave her a look, "You can't put on your own shoes?" Jason asked.

"I'm having trouble with the straps," Carly said. "Please." Carly pouted then narrowed her eyes at Jason, "My ankles are slightly fatter - and it's all your fault."

Jason rolled his eyes and knelt down to help Carly buckle her shoes. "You sure it doesn't have anything to do with those four chocolate doughnuts you had for breakfast?" Jason asked.

Carly kicked Jason's hand, "I also had a big glass of milk, and a glass of juice," Carly pointed out. She turned to Johnny, "You should be at your place. Your date should've been here by now. Maybe she got stuck in traffic."

"My date?" Johnny asked. "My date?"

"Yes, your date," Carly said. "Have you been working too much? Remember, you said you'd let me help you find a date for Gia's engagement party? Alessandra? She's meeting you at your place, remember? Does any of this ring a bell? I'm the pregnant one, prone to forgetfulness, not you."

Jason finished helping Carly with her shoes and stood up, and picked up his beer. "Can we go now?" Jason asked. He hated parties, but the sooner they got there the sooner they could leave.

"You got me a hooker!" Johnny shouted.

Jason spit out his beer, "A hooker?" Jason asked. Oh man, what he would've given to see the look on Johnny's face when he found out. "You got him a hooker? Carly, what were you thinking?"

Carly gave Johnny a sheepish grin, "Technically - she's not a hooker," Carly said, resting her hand on her stomach. "She's an escort."

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, he could feel a headache coming on. "Carly - "

"Fine, you didn't pick her up on Courtland Street, she's a high end hooker," Johnny said. "I've never had to pay for sex! Never!" So maybe he took a few girls home from the strip club, but he'd only paid them for lap dances - not for sex. "And if you weren't pregnant right now, I'd kill you." Johnny walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink, "Why did I let you talk me into finding me a date?" A few days ago, he'd mentioned to Carly that he hadn't asked anyone to the engagement party and she said she'd find him a date. He thought she'd ask one of the Deception models, he didn't think she'd hire a hooker.

Carly quickly glanced at Jason then back at Johnny, "Maybe because, aside from me, you slept with everyone in the wedding party," Carly gently said. Johnny was the ultimate bachelor, his idea of getting serious was going out with the same girl two weekends in a row.

"No I didn't," Johnny said.

"The bride?" Carly asked. "Brenda? Emily? Alexis? Any of those names ring a bell?"

Johnny thought for a moment then laughed softly, "Well - yeah," Johnny said. "Not Lulu though."

"Isn't Brook Lynn a bridesmaid?" Jason asked. "You slept with Ned's kid?"

"No - no, she came on to me - she kissed me and I had one of the guards take her home," Johnny said. "I didn't touch her."

Carly bit back a laugh, "So, let's do a head count," Carly said. "You and Emily - you had that thing a few years ago." For the longest time, Emily had a crush on Johnny. He finally gave in and asked her out. They dated for about a month, but it didn't work out. "Of course, there was Brenda - we don't need to get into that." Johnny's most serious relationship to date, and it ended badly. "And the one night stand from hell, Alexis." She wasn't sure how or why, but Johnny slept with Alexis one night and it made all their lives hell when she had a pregnancy scare. "And let's not forget Gia." She really didn't care who Johnny slept with, but his fling with Gia put her engagement with Nikolas on hold and she almost quit Deception trying to figure out what to do. "And while Brook is not a bridesmaid, she's singing at the wedding, but you still kissed Jason's little cousin - "

"She's over eighteen and she kissed me," Johnny clarified. He'd run into her at Luke's one night, and offered her a ride home. She mistook his friendly offer as something more and kissed him.

"You didn't kiss my little cousin did you?" Carly asked. "Or she didn't kiss you?"

"No," Johnny said. Lulu was pretty - she was young, but more importantly she was Milo's woman. And maybe he might date his friend's sister or sleep with an engaged woman, but never his friend's girl.

"Okay, so you've been involved with most of the wedding party and I'm not even going to get started on the guests," Carly said.

"So because I date a lot you hired someone?" Johnny asked. "You couldn't ask a friend or one of the Deception models?"

"Where's this woman now?" Jason asked. "Is she still here?"

Carly turned and glared at Jason, "Just because I'm pregnant and she's paid for does not mean you - "

"I thought she wasn't a hooker," Johnny interrupted.

"She's not!" Carly insisted. She'd met with Alessandra the day before, she was an extremely beautiful, charming woman. Alessandra assured her that she didn't treat her clients like a hooker did. She assured her that she'd treat Johnny like she would her own boyfriend, that he wouldn't feel cheap or dirty. "I got the name of the agency from Jax - "

"Jax uses hookers?" Johnny asked. "Does Brenda know this?"

Carly groaned, "How many times do I have to tell you? She is not a hooker. She's from a legitimate escort agency. Jax uses this agency from time to time for business associates," Carly said. She got the name from Jax ages ago, back when they were running Club 101 together. She never thought she'd have to use it, not until recently. "It's not like she works at the Paradise Lounge. She went to college, she just makes more money this way." Carly suddenly burst into tears, "I just wanted to make sure you had a pretty girl on your arm at the party. I know you're still hung up on Brenda - "

Jason glared at Johnny, "Thanks," Jason said, sitting down next to Carly. Jason gently wiped the tears from Carly's face, he wasn't sure if she was faking or not but she was definitely hormonal and he wasn't going to take his chances and get kicked out of their bedroom again. "Johnny knows you were just trying to help. Don't you Johnny?"

"Faker," Johnny muttered, and took a deep breath. Carly was really playing the pregnancy card and the only reason he was going to make her stop crying was because he didn't want to end up on door duty for a month. "Carly, I know you were trying to help - but I didn't want you to pay someone to go out with me. I can get my own dates, you didn't have to pay someone."

Carly blinked back tears, "I know you can get your own dates," Carly said. Johnny getting a date wasn't the problem. The problem was that there was a very good chance that Jax was going to be Brenda's date at the party. She didn't want Johnny to be with some random girl. She wanted Johnny to have a date so gorgeous that Brenda would be jealous. It would serve her right for dumping Johnny for Jax - again. "I wanted you to have the hottest date, well - aside from me, I'm kinda pregnant and taken. And well, Gia - she's pretty hot, but she's the bride. I didn't want it to be some random woman you picked up a bar. You should be thankful - I got you someone hot."

"Yeah, Alessandra - she's definitely hot. She's just kind of a hooker," Johnny said.

"You know - it's not like I had a lot of notice to find you a date. Seriously, the only women who were available - are just the pathetic ones. I bet Courtney doesn't have a date, I should've asked her. You know, she's always had a crush on you," Carly said. "I can call her now."

"I think you've helped enough tonight," Johnny said. "Next time you get the urge to fix me up, don't. And if you do, make sure to tell her not to jump me in the limo."

"How did you figure out - " Jason's voice trailed off when Carly elbowed him.

"She said she was mine until midnight, but we could work something out if I wanted her to stay later," Johnny said.

"Ugh," Carly said. "I knew - " Carly paused and shook her head. She knew she should've just paid her for the whole night, but she knew that Johnny rarely spent the night the first time he slept with someone, and he almost never brought them back to his penthouse.

"You knew what?" Johnny asked. "What did you think you knew? That I was so desperate for a date that I'd be grateful that some woman threw herself at me? That I'd sleep with any woman who threw herself at me? That I wouldn't be offended that - that you got me a hooker? What the hell were you thinking? Or were you - "

"Watch it," Jason warned. He knew that Carly could take care of herself, and that Johnny wouldn't do anything more than yell at her. Carly had definitely crossed a line, but she hadn't set out to hurt Johnny, and he wasn't going to stand around while Johnny yelled at his wife. Johnny had every right to be angry with Carly, but he didn't have the right to yell at her all night.

Carly started crying again, "I'm sorry," Carly said, tears flowing freely down her face. "I'm sorry. I - I didn't think that this would be a problem. I thought I was doing you a favor. I just - I just wanted you to have a good time tonight." Carly grabbed a kleenex and wiped her face. "I really am sorry. I won't - I didn't - "

Johnny took a deep breath, "Okay - okay, I'm sorry for yelling at you," Johnny said. "I'm just - " Johnny paused and shook his head. "Just don't do it again, okay?" Carly nodded. "And don't call Courtney either."

"I won't," Carly promised.

Jason kissed the top of Carly's head, "You okay?" Jason asked. Carly nodded and she started looking around for her purse to fix her makeup.

"Well, I'm dateless now - so I guess I'm going to the party stag." Johnny stood up and smiled, "Hey, have Gia and Nikolas set a date for their wedding yet?" Maybe Gia would be up for a trip down memory lane.

"Johnny, if I lose my signature model because you broke up her engagement, I'll kill you," Carly promised. "We're about to launch a new ad campaign and if her mind is focused on Nikolas and not on Deception - I'll kill you."

"Fine," Johnny said. "Hey - can you call Bobbie and have her give me the number of one of those new nurses?"

"It's a little late to invite someone," Jason said.

"A few of them are on the guest list," Carly said. "Nikolas is on the hospital board, remember?"

"Right, okay - I guess I'll pick someone up there," Johnny said.


	2. Chapter 2

Part II

Johnny looked around the room and smiled, "Maybe tonight won't turn out so bad after all," Johnny mused. Whoever said that a wedding was the perfect place to pick up a date, didn't see the guest list for Gia and Nikolas' engagement party.

Carly elbowed Johnny, "I meant what I said about Gia," Carly warned. She had a lot riding on that new ad campaign and didn't have the luxury to work around Gia's relationship problems.

"Good luck," Jason said, wrapping his arm around Carly and leading her towards Gia and Nikolas.

Johnny grabbed a glass of champagne from the nearest server and raised his glass to Emily, who was standing across the room. She smiled at him and Johnny took a sip of his champagne. Johnny nodded to Lucky and started scanning the room for single women. He noticed a group of women from the hospital, a mix of doctors and nurses. Most likely people Nikolas knew from the hospital board or maybe people Gia's mother knew.

He noticed that Alexis was with them, and he didn't want to have to deal with her right now, so he continued scanning the room. "Bingo," Johnny whispered, and a small smile filled his face. He said a silent prayer of gratitude that Deception's current ad campaign was cross-marketed with a lingerie company, because most of those models were here. Johnny finished his champagne and reached for another glass and started walking across the room when he felt an all too familiar hand on his arm.

"Looking for someone you haven't slept with?" Brenda asked.

"What's it to you?" Johnny asked. Earlier he told himself, he wasn't going to get into an argument with Brenda. But he couldn't resist picking a fight. "Where's Jasper?"

"Somewhere not here," Brenda said, taking Johnny's glass of champagne and downing it. "So tell me, where's your latest girl of the hour?" She was not in the mood to discuss Jax with Johnny. That was a conversation she'd far too many times and was sick of going down that road. "She is by the hour, right?"

"Haven't met her yet," Johnny said. Brenda had no idea how close she was to the truth, but he wasn't about to let her know that. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing," Brenda said. "Just making conversation."

Johnny nodded, "So - where is Jax again?" Johnny asked. He tried to keep his eyes on Brenda's face and not on her dress, because if he spent five more minutes with her, he'd want her out of that dress.

Brenda shrugged, "London - Paris, maybe Australia," Brenda said. "Hell, for all I know - he could be in town. We broke up a few weeks ago. I got tired of his jealousy game."

Johnny laughed, "That's rich. You - tiring of games," Johnny said, reaching for another glass of champagne. "You know - I'm really not in the mood to rehash our failed relationship for the thousandth time - so if you don't mind, I'm going to mingle." He needed to get away from Brenda before he did something he was going to regret.

* * *

Johnny walked over to Gia, "Haven't seen you in a while," Johnny said. It had been a few months since he'd seen Gia and was actually surprised she invited him. The last time he'd spent more than five minutes with her, they'd slept together. Then he realized that Nikolas knew they were friends and he'd find it odd if she didn't invite him. 

"Yeah - I've been busy with Deception - and my engagement," Gia said. The last time she slept with Johnny, it hadn't been planned. As far as she knew, he hadn't set out to seduce her or anything, not that he ever did. She stopped by Deception late one night to pick up some proofs, and he'd stopped by to pick up something Jason left in Carly's office. One of them managed to trip the alarm and the entire building went on lock down. There was a thunderstorm going on and they decided to wait it out. A bottle of alcohol found in Carly's office, lowered their inhibitions and one thing led to another.

Johnny stepped closer to Gia, "You happy Gia?" Johnny asked, lowering his voice. "You upset about what happened between us?"

She loved Nikolas, but Johnny was everything Nikolas wasn't. Gia shook her head, "Johnny, I'm engaged to Nikolas."

It should bother him that she was engaged to another man, but it didn't. He wasn't sure if he didn't care or if that was part of the attraction. Johnny brushed his hand over Gia's arm, "You busy later?" Johnny asked.

Before Gia got a chance to answer, Jason placed his hand on Johnny's shoulder, "Excuse us," Jason said.

"I - I should go find Nikolas," Gia said.

Johnny waited for Gia to walk away then pushed Jason, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Johnny asked. Jason had never interfered with his love life before, not even when he'd gotten together with Emily.

"Are you trying to make my life hell?" Jason asked. "You already made my pregnant wife cry, she's going to kill you if you interfere with her new ad campaign." If Johnny pissed Carly off enough, both of them were going to be in the dog house. And the last thing he wanted was to spend the next few weeks sleeping on the couch.

"She got me a hooker," Johnny hissed, looking around to make sure no one overheard.

"An escort," Jason said. "She probably wrote it off as a business expense."

"Same difference," Johnny said.

"It's not like you paid for her," Jason said. He didn't really see what the big deal was. It wasn't like Johnny paid for sex, and if he hadn't found out she was a hooker he would've slept with her and it wouldn't have been an issue. "Carly did."

"You think this is funny?" Johnny asked. "You think it's funny that she got me a hooker. What if I got you an escort?"

"I think my wife would kill you," Jason said.

"Even if I'm the one that paid for her, not you?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah," Jason said. It wouldn't matter if he didn't give the woman a second glance, Carly would be out for blood. First Johnny's, then his. "Don't even think about it, she can talk her way past any guard at your door."

Johnny shook his head, "You know, if she was going to pay for my date - she should've gotten me that new waitress at the No-Name. The leggy blonde with the green eyes," Johnny said.

Jason thought for a second and smiled, "Jocelyn," Jason said.

"You know - my birthday's in a few months," Johnny said.

"You want me to ask Carly to get you a waitress for your birthday?" Jason asked.

"Might as well," Johnny said. "She's gonna get involved with any relationship I have, this way, I get some input."

Jason laughed, "Good luck with that," Jason said.

"As soon as the baby's born, she'll have less time to interfere with my love life," Johnny said.

"Maybe," Jason said. He wasn't sure if there was anything Johnny could do to stop Carly from fixing him up. The only thing he could think of was for Johnny to marry a woman that Carly selected. "Back to this waitress thing - Jocelyn, do you want Carly to pay her? Or just ask her out for you? Because, I wasn't aware you had to pay for sex."

Johnny glared at Jason, "Go find your wife," Johnny said. "For the record - I don't pay for sex."

Jason gestured to a group of women in the corner. "Go find someone not taken. Someone not named Brenda," Jason said. Johnny and Brenda were a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe in five years once they finally got tired of the games they playing they could work, but right now they didn't work. Johnny would do something that would make Brenda mad, so she'd deliberately do something to piss him off. This cycle would continue until one of them gave in. It was probably for the best that they had broken things off, because if they hadn't - one of them was probably going to end up dead.

* * *

Brook Lynn bit her lower lip and smiled, she adjusted the straps on her dress and walked over to Johnny, "Hi stranger," she said. 

Johnny motioned to the drink in her hand, "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" Johnny asked.

Brook Lynn shrugged, "It's a party - nobody cares," she said. "Besides, I'm old enough for plenty of things."

"Right," Johnny said. "Brook - you're a pretty girl, but you're a little young for me."

"Age doesn't matter," Brook Lynn insisted. "Besides, a few years ago - you dated Emily. She's younger than you." She didn't understand why Johnny was so resistant to the idea of them dating. She'd had her eye on him for a while, and there was one thing that she noticed about him. He always had a pretty girl on his arm, and he just said that she was a pretty girl.

"And she's about ten years old than you," Johnny said.

"I'm mature for my age," Brook said. "Very mature."

Johnny closed his eyes for a few seconds and wondered how he always got himself into these situations, "Brook - I'm sorry, but it's not going to happen," Johnny gently said.

"It could happen," Brook said. "Look, I'm not a little kid with a crush. I - "

Carly walked up to the pair and smiled, "Hi, sorry to interrupt - but Johnny, do you have a minute?" Carly asked. She figured the least she could do for Johnny was save him from Brook Lynn. Carly offered a smile of apology to Brook Lynn, "This will just take a minute."

Brook Lynn rolled her eyes, "He's all yours," Brook said and glared at Johnny before walking away.

Carly laughed softly once Brook Lynn was out of the vicinity, "She's not too happy with you," Carly said.

"You think?" Johnny asked. "Why do things like this always happen to me?"

"You work out too much," Carly said. "If you skipped a day or two at the gym, women wouldn't drop at your feet."

"Carly - "

Carly smiled and kissed Johnny's cheek, "If having women fall all over you is your biggest problem - you're having a good night," Carly said. She deliberately left out the fact that Johnny was dateless tonight and that it was mostly her fault. "Jason said you know what you want for your birthday. What is it?" She'd agree to get him just about anything to make up tonight to him.

"Later," Johnny said. "That's not why you came over here."

"No, I saw Brook Lynn walk over here and figured you needed someone to bail you out," Carly said. "I also saw you talking to Brenda earlier." She'd heard from Gia that Brenda had broken up with Jax - again, and was wondering how that was going to affect Johnny's decision to keep Brenda out of his life.

"I'm done with Brenda," Johnny said.

"Done for the night? For the month? For good?" Carly carefully asked. She wasn't sure what Johnny saw in Brenda, but for whatever reason when things were good between them, she made him happy. But more often than not, things weren't good between them. And that's what worried her.

"Honestly?" Johnny asked, looking across the room at Brenda, who was talking with Emily. "I don't know." He wanted to believe that he was done with Brenda, but he'd been done with Brenda for years. They were always on-again and off-again. Right now they were off-again, and he wasn't sure how long that was going to last. If he wanted to stay sane, he'd cut her out of his life. But that wasn't so easy when she showed up at his door wearing little more than a trench coat and lingerie. No matter how mad he got at her, he always wanted her - and she knew it. Brenda laughed at something Emily said, and she turned her head slightly and noticed Johnny watching her. Brenda winked at Johnny, then turned back to Emily. "I really don't know."

* * *

Emily walked up to Johnny and smiled, "Are my eyes deceiving me or are you dateless?" Emily asked. 

"It's a long story," Johnny said. "Trust me - you don't want to know." One that he knew people wouldn't mind hearing, but he really didn't want anyone to know about what almost happened tonight. He didn't need help getting a woman, he definitely didn't need to pay for a woman. It was one thing to give someone he was sleeping with expensive jewelry - just because. Whatever, he could afford it - he didn't care about the money. But it was something different to pay a woman for sex.

"Okay," Emily said. "So - what's new with you? I haven't seen you around in a while." She had an idea why Johnny had been keeping a low profile, but it wasn't like him to jump off the face of the earth if broke up with someone. Even if it was Brenda. She wasn't sure how or why he dealt with the yo-yo that was their relationship.

"I've been busy with work - not much new with me," Johnny said. "Jason told me you started your residency at GH. How's that going?"

Emily shrugged, "The hours suck," Emily said. "But I have to put in my time, even if - "

"Your dad's the chief of staff and most of your family's on the hospital board?" Johnny asked. Emily could have it easy, she could just coast because of her last name, but that was the last thing she wanted. It just meant she had to work twice as hard to prove herself, to prove she wasn't a trust fund kid.

"Even if," Emily said. "You know - there's this new nurse at the hospital, Nadine. I think you'd like her."

"Why's that?" Johnny asked.

"She's your type," Emily insisted.

"Mind if I ask what's my type?" Johnny asked. He'd already been set up once with a hooker, he wanted to make sure Nadine didn't moonlight as a _working girl_.

"She's pretty - blonde, smart. She's funny - she likes sports, she's a big hockey fan," Emily said.

Johnny nodded, that did sound like his type. "You'll have to introduce me," Johnny said. "She here tonight?"

"No, she's working tonight," Emily said. "But - " Emily paused and smiled. So what if Nadine wasn't here, she was. Maybe she and Johnny weren't going to pick out china patterns anytime soon, but that's not what she wanted - at least not tonight. "Forget about Nadine. Come with me and I'll make it worth your while."

"Em - "

Emily shook her head, "Trust me," Emily said, reaching for Johnny's hand. She rested her hand on Johnny's face, "I miss you."

"Em, we don't work," Johnny said. He liked Emily, hell - he probably could've fallen in love with her. But things didn't work out. At the top of the list was his job, but for not the usual reasons.

"We don't have to work to have fun," Emily said. She knew that she and Johnny didn't work. She had a problem with his job, not with what he did, but with the fact that she would never be the number one priority in his life. Work came first for him, and she thought she understood it, but she'd had no idea how serious he was. She had the misfortune of dating him when a warehouse exploded, and quickly found out how seriously he took his job. "It's just for tonight and no one has to know. I know you have the keys to Carly's office."

"Em - this is a bad idea," Johnny said. Emily leaned closer and Johnny felt his resolve weakening as she started whispering all the things she wanted him to do to her.

Emily kissed Johnny's neck, "Meet me in the stairwell if you change your mind," Emily said, kissing his cheek. She gave Johnny a little wave and walked away.

* * *

Carly sat down and motioned Jason over, "Are you ready?" Carly asked. 

"I've been ready to leave since we got here," Jason said, unbuttoning his top button. He started looking around, "Where's Johnny?"

"He was talking to a nurse earlier," Carly said. She looked around the room and groaned, "Here's a better question - where's Brenda?" She knew that Johnny was more than capable of handling his own relationships, but getting together with Brenda again was a horrible idea.

Jason shook his head, "Let's go," Jason said. Johnny could find his own way home, if he hadn't left already.

"Okay, I just want to say bye to Gia first," Carly said.

Lucky walked up to the pair, "Hey - have either of you seen Emily? I told her I'd give her a ride home and I can't find her," Lucky said.

Carly raised an eyebrow at Jason, "Maybe not Brenda?" Carly asked.

"You're not funny," Jason said. He wasn't thrilled about the idea of Johnny getting together with Emily again. But there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. He knew that Johnny wouldn't deliberately hurt her, but he also knew that there were some realities that Emily would never be able to face.

Lucky looked back and forth for a few seconds, trying to figure out what they were talking about, "Okay, if you see her - let her know I'm looking for her," Lucky said and walked away.

* * *

"This is a bad idea," Johnny said, picking up his companion and kissing her as he fumbled with the lock. There were at least a dozen reasons why he shouldn't do this, but he could barely think straight. Not when her breath was hot against his neck and her hands were roaming everywhere. 

She wrapped her legs around Johnny's waist and kissed him, "Really bad," she agreed, as Johnny carried her inside Carly's office. He kissed her, kicking the door shut. "But I don't care." Johnny pushed her against the wall and started searching for the zipper on her dress. She should care, really she should. But for whatever reason the only thing she cared about was Johnny's skin touching hers.

"We can go somewhere else," Johnny offered. Carly's office wasn't the ideal place to hookup. Aside from the fact that there wasn't a bed, or even a couch - he wasn't the only one with a key. Considering that there were about 200 people upstairs, at least four of them had a key and anyone could walk in here at any second.

"Here's fine," she said, unbuttoning his shirt. She impatiently pushed away at the sleeves, but was having trouble moving because she was pinned between Johnny and the wall. She knew this was a bad idea, but she wanted this - she wanted him, more than she should. If she stopped to think about this, she'd change her mind.

"Tell me to stop and I will," Johnny said, before kissing her again. He didn't want to stop, but he would.

Stopping was the last thing on her mind, but there was something she needed to tell him. "I - I never answered your question earlier," Gia quietly said.

The seriousness in her tone broke the mood and Johnny set Gia down on the ground, "What question?" Johnny quietly asked, lightly touching her chin. Maybe he was on the rebound, his last breakup with Brenda left him more jaded than he wanted to admit. And honestly, if Jax weren't in the picture he'd probably try to find a way to make it work. But Gia - he craved Gia. Out of all the women here tonight, it didn't surprise him that he'd ended up with her. She was someone he wasn't supposed to have. Maybe it was the excitement, she was forbidden in every sense of the word. They'd slept together at least half a dozen times over the past few years, once before she got together with Nikolas and all the other times after she was involved with him. Not to mention she was Taggert's sister.

"If I was happy," Gia said. "With Nikolas." She closed her eyes for a few seconds and lowered her voice. "I'm not." She loved Nikolas, she really did. That's what made this so hard, the fact that she loved him. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't be the Cassadine Princess, she didn't want to be the figurehead of an insane family and have her every move monitored and controlled by Nikolas. She couldn't marry him.

Obviously she wasn't, if she was - she wouldn't be here. Johnny leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead, "Tell me what you want," Johnny said. "Tell me what you want me to do."

Gia looked up at Johnny, getting lost in his hazel eyes. The sincerity she saw in his eyes amazed her. "Kiss me," Gia whispered. "Kiss me and don't stop."

Johnny softly kissed Gia, "Come home with me," Johnny quietly said. "You can stay with me or in the guest room or whatever, as long as you need to."

"If - if I move in with you - " Gia paused. Her head was spinning, she was going to have to break up with Nikolas. She hadn't even broken up with him yet, and here she was planning to move in with Johnny and they hadn't even had a date yet. "Then what? Don't you think we're moving kinda fast?"

Johnny smiled, "I like fast," Johnny said. "And if you move in with me, technically - that means you're my girlfriend." Johnny brushed his thumb over Gia's bottom lip, "You okay with that?" Maybe he and Gia would crash and burn if they spent more than a day together, but he'd never know unless they tried.

Gia slowly nodded, "More than I should be," Gia said, slipping off her engagement ring and handing it to Johnny, because she had nowhere to put it. Her life was going to be a roller coaster for the next few weeks. So few people knew her relationship with Johnny had ever exited the boundaries of friendship, that they'd have a lot of explaining to do. She'd need to end her relationship with Nikolas, and try out a relationship with Johnny that involved more than sex every 3-4 months. Not to mention the new ad campaign she was the center of. Carly was going to kill her. "But - "

"What?" Johnny asked. "Change your mind already?"

"What do I have to do to convince you to tell Carly?" Gia asked. "I'll do anything you want."

"Anything?" Johnny asked.

Gia leaned forward and quickly kissed Johnny, and trailed kisses along his jaw, stopping when she neared his ear. "Anything," Gia whispered.

"Let's go back to my place and we can work out the details," Johnny said, buttoning his shirt and smoothing out Gia's dress.

"Sounds good," Gia said. She knew she should talk to Nikolas before leaving, but she couldn't right now. She'd call him and leave him a message and meet with him tomorrow, so she could break things off with him. Her family was going to flip, but this wasn't about them - this was about her, about being happy. She wasn't sure how or why, but Johnny made her happy.

"You wait here," Johnny said. "I'm going to grab my coat and call someone to come pick us up." He'd showed up with Carly and Jason, but couldn't exactly leave with them.

"Hold on a second," Gia said, walking over to Carly's desk and flipping on a lamp. She quickly wrote a note to Nikolas explaining that she needed some time to herself and that she'd call him in a few days. She folded it and handed it to Johnny, "Make sure Nikolas gets this."

Johnny looked at the piece of paper in his hand, wondering what it said but knowing he needed to respect her privacy, "Okay - I'll be back soon. Do you have a purse or anything?" Johnny asked.

"Just a wrap, but leave it here," Gia said. Someone would probably notice Johnny leaving the party with a fur trimmed wrap.

Johnny reached for Gia's hand, kissing her hand where her engagement ring used to be, "You still gonna be here when I get back?" Johnny asked. Gia nodded and Johnny kissed her forehead before heading back to the party. He took the stairs, stopping only to place a few hundred dollar bills over Gia's note. He stopped the nearest female server, and handed her both the note and cash, instructing her to give it to Nikolas and to say his fiancée asked her to give this to him. He walked over to the coat check to claim his coat when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Leaving so soon?" Emily asked. She knew she should be upset that Johnny didn't meet her, but she wasn't. Honestly, she hadn't expected him to meet up with her. She wouldn't have complained if he did though. "And alone?"

Johnny slipped his coat on, "Yeah," Johnny said. He quickly glanced around the room and didn't see Jason or Carly. "Did your brother leave?"

"They just left," Emily said. "Do you need a ride home?" So far, her night hadn't turned out the way she wanted, but there was still a chance for it to turn around.

"I'm okay - thanks," Johnny said. "I'll see you around." He dialed Rey and asked him to send a car, and to call him when he got here. He glanced back inside and noticed Brenda talking to Jax. He quickly shook his head, resolving to move forward with his life and not to fall back into a relationship with Brenda. Right now, he had every reason not to and the most important one was waiting for him upstairs.

THE END


End file.
